The Fire Guardian
by shinkeishein
Summary: This version of the Avatar the Last Airbender takes place a few years before the cannon and continues to happen during it but these characters don't interact with Gaang, for the most part, and they have their own things to do and their own stories to tell. Though Toph's story changes up a bit and Boomi becomes Aang's teacher. Though here Toph finally gets some love.
1. Chapter 1

N/A:

Disclaimer:

First and foremost I do not own the rights to Avatar the Last Airbender. Nickelodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko do. They came up with the cannon and the concept of the element bending so they deserve their credit. Also I give credit to Vathara and her story Embers. Her whole concept of what started the war, all of the conflicts between the nations and their cultures, how the spirits are/what they do/etc, the dragons that survive, and the different types of bending within their perspective elements. All of those belong to Vathara and she deserves recognition for her amazing work in Embers as it inspired me to create my own fanfic. So I thank Vathara and the creators of Avatar the Last Airbender for all of their work. Lastly, this entire disclaimer is for every single chapter of Fire Guardian. I say this now so I can save myself the time of putting it in every chapter.

Story:

This version of the cannon takes place a few years before the cannon and continues to happen during it but these characters don't interact with Gaang, for the most part, they have their own things to do and these characters have their own stories to tell. So for the majority of Fire Guardian I claim creative rights to this story. The beginning of this story is my own creation based off of the concepts in the disclaimer while also adding my own concepts and characters. And later on I will change part of the bases of the cannon itself like how Toph Bei Fong does not become Aang's teacher like in canon. Boomi will teach Aang earthbending first because Aang will try to find Toph but she has her own journey so they won't meet up till sometime later.

So I hope you enjoy my work.

* * *

Salty wind blowing up and over the ocean cliff. Clear blue sky and sparkling ocean splayed out before him. If he had the choice, Ikihi would love to just stay in this spot and stare out at the beautiful sight endlessly, but luck did not seem like it wanted to take his side. Or if you would call an angry mob of earth kingdom soldiers behind him, trapping him with nowhere to go but to jump off the cliff, lucky...well, it was lucky for them but not so much for Ikihi. Ikihi looked down the cliff that ended in foamy white water bashing against the cliff wall and then back at the angry soldiers inching closer, scared the boy would throw out a huge wave of fire and scorch them all. Hmm...which one would I fare better off against...heck I'll take my chances with the ocean instead of cranky earth kingdom soldiers. The only reason I've been safe so far because they have no earthbenders… N' down we go!

Ikihi turned back to the ocean and jumped. Arms flailing while buffeted by the wind with the ocean rushing up to greet him, Ikihi pierced into the water feet first. The current pulled him under and dragged him out into the ocean without a hint of letting up. Ah shit…

* * *

The currents pulled and kept Ikihi down to the point he lost his breath and drowned. Ikihi was dragged up with the water and out of the ocean unconscious. There was a man dressed in blue Southern Water Tribe clothing with blue and white beads decorating his long white braided hair and white beard. The waterbender waved his arms in time to bring the water with the unconscious boy onto the wooden boat and keep him from drowning. The elderly man moved his hand gently upwards while closing his fist as if he were grabbing a bunch of sand to let it fall, and as he did this, water rose up and out of the boy's mouth as he coughed and sputtered to life once again. The boy's consciousness surfaced to open his golden eyes—not a pale gold like other firebenders of the dragons, but a clear, blazing gold as if they were miniature suns all of their own. The boy looked at the water tribe man who had just laid him down as the wind caught the sails and they headed out towards the ocean, away from the yelling Earth Kingdom soldiers behind on the cliff. The boy gave a small smile, nodding his head. "Ikihi. Thank you…" And the boy blacked out once more.

The boy didn't look like he could be older than 9 years old but it was clear the boy, Ikihi as he called himself in that one moment of consciousness 5 days ago, didn't have a lick of training in how to fight. That aside, I'm worried there's something wrong with him. He didn't have many injuries other than bruises, cuts, and blisters you get from traveling...but in all of my years I have not seen someone look so deprived of sleep and even more deprived of food…

The water tribe man decided to make for land so he could hunt and cook some food because there wasn't any food on board so the boy could revive his strength. But what should I do with this boy? This boy seems to be of the Fire Nation, but I feel no maliciousness from him at all. When he was on the cliff he had no hint of a firebending stance at all...He just jumped and evaded the trouble… Kayuqtuq had been to many battle fields and had felled many firebenders in his time. Kayuqtuq hadn't always known war across the world. He was born around the time Fire Lord Sozin was. Born in the Southern Water Tribe but left at 20 years old to master waterbending and healing and to travel the world. Somewhere along the way Kayuqtuq got dragged into the war and started meeting unique people that he later found out they were of the Order of the White Lotus. Grand Lotus at 50 years of age, Kayuqtuq worked in the background, searching the world for any clues of where the Avatar might be.

On one such trip, Kayuqtuq came across a Western Water Tribe who hid themselves from everyone in the war in alcoves along the coast of the Western Ocean. These people were waterbenders but their style of bending was nothing like he, Kayuqtuq, had ever seen. They weren't weird like the Foggy Swamp waterbenders but neither were they as rigid as the Northern or Southern Water Tribes. These people were waterbenders with a different style all together, and when he saw them bend, although there were only about 3 benders among 50 people in the alcoves, he was too scared to learn what they called Storm Waterbending.

Over the years Kayuqtuq took to those people and started to call them his family since he had no other, and the hidden alcoves became his home as well. Now he was heading towards those alcoves with the unconscious boy on his boat. It seemed the boy had no family and had been on his own for some time. So Kayuqtuq decided, It doesn't matter if the boy was born of fire. He doesn't have any family and likely no home, not to mention he doesn't have any obvious training...If he was older I'd train him myself but he can't be older than 9...I'm not good with kids or trying to raise them. I'd have a better chance leaving him in the alcove for 3 years to be trained and then come back for him to see if he's capable of helping me… That is, if he will want to help me.

* * *

Ugh...The swaying finally stopped...I'm either dead and at the bottom of some ocean, in a spirit world or on land. A tingling feeling came to his hands and fingers and slowly spread through his body. Torturous to not be able to itch at the prickling all over. "Ugh...This is killing me…"

"What is? What's killing you?" a girl said worriedly as she quickly made her way out of the tent with a flapping sound.

Heavy footsteps and an old crackling voice calling out for water. The footsteps stopping by Ikihi, the people intently listening.

"The tingling...It's killing me and I can't scratch it…"

A sound of palm hitting face. And the elderly lady's cackling laugh in between. "Well, you heard the boy. Kunik, help the poor boy out and massage his limbs so he can move. Irniq, go to your mother and tell her the boy has woken up, and ask for a pair of clothes for him. Your size or maybe a bit smaller should be good. Atanarjuat, go get some food and water for this boy."

"Yes Aanaruaga," they all replied in unison as each went to do their task.

The girl the elder woman called Kunik started messaging Ikihi's hands and then up his arms, to his chest and stomach. Once he was able to sit up he rose and massaged the rest of the sourness out of his legs and stretch everything else out. The girl had jumped back startled at Ikihi's sudden movement. When the elderly woman looked up from the boy and Kunik she stared in amazement at the candles that were placed at the four corners of the boy's bedding due to Kayuqtuq's suggestion and the boy clearly having Fire Nation blood in him. The candles weren't supposed to be lit during the day when the sun was out. Kayuqtuq had said the sun should give him enough strength during the day but it may help to light candles for him at night when the sun's power was weak. Yet these candles are ablaze when none of us touched them. They were out like they should be, at first, but when the boy was able to move they suddenly lit and started dancing...

* * *

Atiqtalik had seen inside of the boy and, while healing him, saw his soul to be in the form of a grand sleeping dragon of which she dared not wake up in fear of what would happen. She had heard from Kayuqtuq that the boy before her had blazing golden eyes, like a firebender and yet different. Atiqtalik had seen firebenders before and there was even a friendly master firebender who lived up the mountain from their little hidden village. But the boy's eyes were not the usual pale gold that came from the dragons; rather, his eyes were like golden fire that would darken or lighten with the boy's emotions.

Kayuqtuq entered the tent to watch the boy move around, dress and eat. "How does he look to you Atiqtalik?"

"This boy is unique. I'll introduce him to Hamasaki Daichi and see what he makes of the boy. I thought you said the boy was not a firebender although likely of Fire Nation blood?"

"Judging by his stances and how he moves, I would say he has never learned firebending."

"Then how do you explain the candles?"

"What candl-" Kayuqtuq looked at the candles in the room that should have been out because the sun's strength in the middle of the day should have been enough to sustain the boy, but were somehow lit and flaring. Kayuqtuq moved closer to the lit candles to get a better look and you could see miniature dragons made of flames, one dragon per candle, twirling around and dancing through the air. To the eyes unfamiliar with spirits they would just see a very active flame which usually means there is a powerful firebender nearby. But...these flames… They show the very state of the boy. He resembles a dragon. And these flames are not blazing due to anger. The dragons in the flames are dancing as if they are happy. The boy is happy...but why?

Kayuqtuq looks over at the boy to see Ila, a girl about 18 years old squealing about how cute the boy was.

Ikihi looked about as happy as a baby in its mother's arms, the happiest days of a child's life. Kayuqtuq inched over back to where Atiqtalik sat cross-legged, watching the children.

"It seems that, although he may not know how to firebend...he still has a great effect on the fire around him…"

"Hamasaki Daichi always said if there was something more dangerous than a trained firebending soldier it's a young firebending child who knows nothing of the power he holds in his hands."

* * *

Now out of the tent, Ikihi wandered around above the alcove, although the people of the little village said not to stray too far away.

Washed, clothed and fed. It's been a long time since I've felt so good. I can't believe these people are so nice. I hope things can stay this way...but if anything somehow catches fire…I don't know why but something always catches fire around me. As soon as people see something catch fire they all look at me like I'm a monster. Some try to kill me, others just plain kick me out of their village. But why? What did I do to be treated that way? I know there is a war against other people who move fire but I'm not like them...I don't even know who they are! I am Ikihi! So why do they treat me the same? Aaaaaaargh!

Ikihi swings his arms out in frustration, feeling his anger build up, begging for a way out so he doesn't explode.

"AAAAH!" A scream suddenly came from a hidden person behind the trees that some how caught fire. A pale skinned girl with dark black hair and shocked pale golden eyes startled by the sudden fire.

Oh not again… They are all going to hate me. Better start running now.

* * *

AN:

Ikihi means Firebreath.

Kayuqtuq means Red Fox.

Atiqtalik means Polar Bear Mother, Aanaruaga means grandmother.

Ila means Companion.

Kunik means Kiss.

Irniq means Son.

Atanarjuat means The Fast Runner.

Hamasaki Daichi means Seashore-Cape Great(Hamasaki) Wisdom(Daichi).

**The names from Kayuqtuq to Atanarjuat are all Inuit names, Ikihi and Hamasaki Daichi are Japanese.


	2. Chapter 2

At first Hamasaki Mitsuko was just intrigued. Who is this boy? I've never seen him around before...must be new to these parts. Hmm… usually I'm always inside around this time in the evening… Dad always says to not go outside the house at twilight, he keeps on scaring me with all of these ghost stories.

'Every Night around twilight the boundaries between the living world and the spirit world become blurred to the point spirits can cross over into the living world and wreak havoc. It is true that not all spirits are evil and there are some who would be willing to help humans, but their ways are a mystery to the living. What the spirits believe is help may often be a curse to the human depending on who they are and what their circumstances are like. If you say you do not believe in spirits, hush your face and quiet your foolishness. The fact that there are people who can bend the very elements themselves is proof of the spirits.

'The firebenders, airbenders, waterbenders and earthbenders… you yourself, a firebender, are proof of the spirits. The Great Spirits blessed many humans and other various creatures of this world with a great and unimaginable power. The Great Spirits are Agni of fire and the sun; Tui the ocean and La the moon, both of water; Guanyin of earth; and the Autumn Lord of air. These are the names of the Great Spirits who gave the benders their power to bend their respective elements. So since you are a firebender, Mitsuko, your power comes from the sun, or Agni, and when the sun goes down during night your power weakens. So never go outside during the night when you are in danger and weakened.'

Despite her father's warnings, Mitsuko couldn't help but be drawn to prove to her father that she was strong enough to defend herself although she was only 8 years old. So although it was past her curfew and it was twilight, the time of the spirits, Mitsuko sneaked out of the house while two of the elders from the village below her home visited her father.

While outside Mitsuko came across a strange boy standing by the front door to her cottage. The boy had messy long black hair Mitsuko thought sorely needs to be cut and was a bit on the short side with lightly tanned skin. Mitsuko realized the boy before her would have been as pale as her and her father if it wasn't for the tan the boy got from always being out in the sun. But the most intriguing thing about the boy was his eyes. Mitsuko's father said firebenders and dragons had golden eyes but, like Mitsuko's eyes, they were usually a pale gold color. This boy, however, had hiding behind the trees, planning on surprising the boy so she could get close enough to look at the boy's eyes and see why they were different.

Sneaking had never been a strong point for Mitsuko. Just as she was about to reach out to the boy he threw out a hand in anger and a huge wave of intense heat came washing over her, followed by a pure white flame that made her scream as it caught fire to the trees and all the area surrounding her.

Hearing Mitsuko scream, the boy turned back to see Mitsuko frightened and ducking to protect herself from the fire. The boys face changed from surprise to worry and then to sorrow as he turned away from her and started running deeper into the forest.

"Wait! Why did you do that?" Mitsuko ran after the boy, trying to catch up to him. Further and further they got into the depth of the forest as the boy just seemed to fly through the trees like he was running from a predator. Mitsuko and the boy started to pick up speed as the slope started going downhill and the trees started parting into a clearing a bit farther below. Just as Mitsuko was about to reach the clearing, something snagged her foot and make her trip head first; the ground flew up to her and the world went out.

* * *

Hamasaki Daichi was pleasantly surprised to see his two friends Kayuqtuq and Atiqtalik visiting him for tea in the evening, but he grew worried when he saw the serious looks on their faces when they said they needed to talk. Now they were all sitting around a table sipping their cups of tea while Mitsuko was supposedly in her room going to bed.

"So what is the news, my old friends? Hopefully the other village elders didn't decide to say my daughter and I can no longer be near the village, did they?"

"No Daichi…" Atiqtalik contemplated how to tell Daichi about Ikihi. "This is a far different matter, but we need your opinion on this. Kayuqtuq."

"About a week ago I was sailing near an Earth Kingdom village. By that village I saw a boy who couldn't be older than 9 years old. He was trapped on a cliff out looking the ocean by a garrison of Earth Kingdom soldiers. The boy then jumped of the cliff to get away from the garrison and nearly drowned in the water. If I hadn't waterbended him out and onto my boat... Then the boy slept for about seven days while I brought him to our village where he just woke up today not too long ago. But upon his awakening we noticed some interesting things about the boy…"

Atiqtalik took over, "We have determined that this boy is of Fire Nation descent like you and your daughter Mitsuko. And Kayuqtuq suggests the young lad never had any training as a firebender but he seems to have the gift for it. So we came here to council with you on this matter. The boy-"

"AAAAH!"

A scream came from outside and made Daichi stand up in a blink of an eye.

"Sorry but we'll have to continue this talk another time. That was Mitsuko that just screamed. I also feel a powerful and frantic spirit outside."

Hamasaki Daichi ran out his front door to see what happened to Mitsuko. But what he faced outside was the forest in front of his home caught on fire by a white flame. Daichi reached out to calm the flames and put them out but nothing happened. Although these flames were clearly fire, Daichi still had no effect.

At a closer look Daichi saw a spirit form out of the flames as it noticed him try to douse it. The flames came from the trees and flew towards Daichi as he shielded himself with his arms but the flames did not burn him. Rather, when Daichi opened his eyes as his heart rammed his ribcage with fear, Daichi saw the fire had condensed and formed into a flaming dragon before him. The dragon looked into Daichi's eyes with its own eyes of golden fire. The majority of the dragon was made of white fire while its whiskers, eyebrows and hair were of golden fire.

"Great dragon spirit please tell me what happened to my daughter! I heard her scream out here and then I see you. Please, if you would help me, where is she and what happened to her?"

The dragon with no wings turned its head to its right looking towards where Ikihi and Mitsuko had run off to. Then it flew off towards where it was looking and turned back to face Daichi, Kayuqtuq and Atiqtalik to gesture for them to follow. Daichi turned to Kayuqtuq and said, "I have to follow this dragon and figure out what happened to Mitsuko." Kayuqtuq grabbed his friend's hand before he could run off.

"We are coming with you. We had Ikihi standing out here to wait for us to call him in so we could introduce him to you. So whatever happened to Mitsuko likely also happened to Ikihi as well. Atiqtalik, please head back to the village and get everyone to help in a search for Mitsuko and Ikihi. It's getting dark so we'll need all the help we can get."

"Wait Kayuqtuq," Atiqtalik said. "Remember what the flames of the candles looked like when Ikihi was awake?"

"Yeah… Why do you mention that?"

"The dragons that were in those flames… They look just like the dragon before us but much larger. That's Ikihi's flame. What ever happened caused Ikihi to create fire and that fire is what's leading you to them."

Daichi looked at his friends when he heard what they said.

"What the hell are you two talking about? You said the boy didn't know how to firebend!"

"He doesn't. When ever he does firebend he does it subconsciously. We asked Ikihi if he knew he was a bender at all and what sort of things happened around him. From his answers and what we have determined about him is, he only has a hint that things happen to catch fire around him and it scares people because they realize he's a firebender and is of the Fire Nation. He doesn't know how to firebend, yes, but he also doesn't know he can even control fire, so he doesn't know why they are mad at him. So, in other words, this dragon of fire is created subconsciously and seems to be controlled by his emotions whatever they may be.

"We had candles placed at the corners of his bed to help him heal while the sun was down, but when the candles were originally unlit they caught fire the moment he woke up and could move. When he was happy, the flames of the candles seemed to also take shape into dragons. Dragons that were dancing because he was happy."

Daichi contemplated the outlandish possibility of what they just described.

"So if this flame dragon is his, Ikihi's, fire and it's trying to direct us to where they are, then…"

"Then whatever happened, Ikihi must be worried and crying out for help. So go!" Atiqtalik finished and then ran off to the village.

* * *

The dragon of white and golden fire flew in the air as it weaved between the trees, bringing Daichi and Kayuqtuq closer to where Mitsuko and Ikihi were. How is what Atiqtalik and Kayuqtuq described even possible? There has been no tale of firebenders able to subconsciously control fire. It is true that dragon children can breath out smoke and make the fires around them stronger when they get angry, but there is absolutely no record of firebenders or even dragons who could do this with fire. Unknowingly controlling fire with his emotions like this… Whoever this boy is I fear he would become very dangerous if he were to ever be actually taught how to firebend.

The dragon fire flew ahead of Daichi and Kayuqtuq in a sudden increase of speed as they saw a huge raging firestorm similar to the white fire that the dragon was made of. It was as if the night around the firestorm had turned to-day as the blazing white and gold fire lit up its surroundings and cast shadows facing outwards from the source of the fire.

The heat was amazing. The fire coursed through all the trees at the edges of the clearing where a boy with long black hair flying in the strong gust of wind, due to the temperature change, stood over an unconscious girl who lay on the ground.

"Mitsuko!"

Daichi lunged forward about to dive through the blazing white flames but Kayuqtuq caught his friend and pulled him back. Trying to yell over the firestorm, Kayuqtuq called to Daichi.

"Wait my friend! We cannot face this alone! Even with all the waterbenders in the village we may not be able to do anything about this fire! I know you can't bend this fire and it doesn't seem to be harming the trees but everything is still on fire! It's too dangerous to just dive in there without even knowing what's going on!"

With much persuasion Daichi stayed back and watched from outside the tremendous firestorm. "You said this white fire belongs to the boy right? How the hell is he even able to create something like this? Not only is it night-time when firebenders are at their weakest during the day's cycle, but this strength—even when Sozin's Comet comes around only master firebenders of extreme power and skill are able to create something like this! What and who is he?"

"We don't know Daichi!" Atiqtalik called out from behind with many of villagers, including Ila who was clearly worried like an older sister over Ikihi.

"We only know what Ikihi himself knows and what we have been able to decide about him in the short time we have watched him. Ikihi said that he doesn't remember his parents at all. He doesn't know about the war, he doesn't have a home or a family to speak of. It seems he's been on his own for more than half of his life so far. He doesn't even know he's a firebender, which it is clear that he is."

Kayuqtuq turns back to Daichi and gives him a helpless look. "Well there you have it Daichi, we were actually hoping you could help us figure out what the boy was. At least… before something happened, that is. But it seems that it's too late for that. Atiqtalik, have any of our waterbenders been able to put out this fire?"

"No the water has no effect, it just evaporates almost as soon as it touches the fire. Our storm techniques aren't even doing anything."

Daichi shook his head withdrawn as he sadly concluded. "Then there's nothing we can do but wait till this Ikihi himself calms down and the storm dies out… Damn, and this kid is only 9 years old and he can create something like this? I'm afraid to see what he'll be capable of when he becomes older…"

Kayuqtuq nods his head in agreement as he sits down to wait for whatever was going to happen to happen. Ila shoves her way to the front of the crowd, caring only about Ikhi, and already believing Mitsuko to be too far gone.

"We can't just leave him in there! He's only a 9-year-old boy who just earlier today woke up from being unconscious for about seven days. He's not even at his full strength! How can we expect him to deal with something like this?!"

Daichi shook his head as he replied with disbelief in his own voice. "Ila, I can barely believe this myself. But if it is as you say and he just woke up from seven days of healing and isn't even at full health yet… We are already so powerless in the face of this storm that we can do nothing about. Trust me, girl, I hate this as much as you do, maybe even more than you do. My daughter is in there unconscious and with blood on the ground by her and I'm stuck here on this side of the storm with nothing I can do to save her."

Atiqtalik rested her hand on Daichi's shoulder and looked at him with sympathy before she turned to face the events about to unfold.

* * *

Finally surfacing from where it tripped Mitsuko, a spirit of misfortune that leads to death came out to face and taunt the boy who was thrashing about, pacing and throwing out his fists, creating huge waves of white fire that kept the malicious spirit stalking Ikihi from a distance.

"Face it, boy, there's nothing you can do to save her life. If you hadn't frightened her and run away, she never would have run after you and then run into me. So her death is your fault, boy. Yesss, that's it, fall into despair, let your heart be clouded by sorrow and regret. Give up your soul, boy, and give up that girl as well!"

Ikihi turned face the spirit. A black mass in the form of a giant spider with the upper body, arms and head of a man. It's eyes empty sockets of the dead. An odor of death and blood with the voice of an evil man mixed with the sound of screaming mothers and children.

"Why? Why do things always turn out this way? Why do things like you always show up wherever I go? People get hurt, some stop breathing and they grow cold." Ikihi shivered at the frightening memory. "Why does this always happen?"

There were other spirits around as the Great Spirits took interest in the fight about to occur as they felt the power within Ikihi start to leak out. When Ikihi was born his parents sealed their son's inate power till he could learn to control it. But as things were, various malicious spirits targeted the boy in order to steal his power before Ikihi became aware of his unique fire dwelling inside of him. So the Great Spirits chose to watch the seal unravel and witness the creation of a young Great Spirit in the making.

"Because you are not human boy. You possess a power that many of us would gladly kill to get our hands on. To make you suffer and give up your soul so we can take your power for ourselves. This amazing power that is so wasted on a half blood like you. You of spirit and living. Give me your power now, you damn brat, and I'll end your suffering forever!"

"It… Don' do it… Don't do what that evil thing says…" Mitsuko fell back into unconsciousness but this time Ikihi could feel the life in her go out as she started to become cold. The firestorm itself was hot but inside the fire, where Ikihi and Mitsuko were, the air was as cold as a winter night, allowing her warmth to slip away. Nonononononononooooooooooooooooooo! Why does this always happen!? Someone please help me! I don't want this to happen! I don't want someone to become cold and never wake up again! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!

* * *

The fire around Ikihi began to change. It grew to be three times the size it originally was as the flames flew right into the stunned audience and then beyond them to cover about fifty miles in diameter total, leaving everyone unscathed. Everyone that was watching were now within the eye of the firestorm that took on the form of a hurricane except it was made out of the golden white fire.

Although they were now on the inside of the storm, they were still locked in their positions due to their immense fear. Not of the evil spider spirit with its gruesome back turned to them, but of the boy who yell of rage turned into a loud bellowing dragon's roar. More fire was created and surrounded the boy with the strength of the sun itself. In the middle of it all, Ikihi could be seen changing. And those from the village with the best sight yelled out to the others what they saw happen.

Ikihi rose into the air as raging fire, creating a sphere of pure white fire that resembled a sun. His hands closed and then opened back up into clawed hands as his nails grew sharp and long. Hair tossed about in the gusts of wind, growing even longer than it was before, showing the ears that had become pointed at the tops. Open mouth revealing the fangs to tear through any flesh. Eyes becoming light and as swirling as the tremendous firestorm itself. The fire that was a circle now condensing to outline and cover his body to its shape, even distinguishing the arms and the legs. More fire sprouting from his back in the form of wings, each twice the size of his body, as a long tail of fire grew from his tailbone, horns from his brow, eyebrows growing to be as long as his hair and whiskers twice as long.

In all but solidity Ikihi took the form of a dragon. From his claws to his eyes, he physically changed, and from wings to whiskers, his dragon self was formed by the white fire. With the change completed Ikihi crouched on the ground and then launched himself into the air with a jump and one fell swoop of his wings.

The spider spirit itself trembled in fear, but then scowled. "HA! So you won't hand over your power, huh? Very well then, you'll just lose everyone here!"

The spider spirit scuttled on its eight legs to eat Daichi and all the villagers, but the moment the spirit was halfway to them Ikihi had flown in with a huge gust of wind that pushed everyone back farther and he roared at the spirit.

The spirit then turned back to Mitsuko who lay on the ground nearly dead. Ikihi pounced on the spider and tore its legs from its body with his claws, then bit down at the neck and decapitated the spirit as it gave a blood curdling scream that sent shivers throughout the bodies of the other spirits watching the boy's awakening. A battle between a malicious spider spirit and a white fiery dragon with whiskers, eyebrows and mane of golden fire in the middle of a raging firestorm would give nightmares to all who were watching. Coupled with blood chilling screams of agony, Ikihi crouched his legs, straightened his arms, raised his wings, lifted up his head and roared in triumph. Many who lived at least 100 miles away would tell stories of a dragon's rage-filled roar in the midst of the most fearsome firestorm to take place in all of history.

* * *

With the fight over, none of the village could find it in themselves to move let alone breathe. The spirit had burned up into nothingness and now the dragon made of fire with Ikihi at the middle of it was standing over Mitsuko, roaring out at the night sky as if calling out for help.

Suddenly the clouds broke apart from a huge breath of fire and made the sky clear for the full moon to shine down upon Ikihi and Mitsuko.

"Nephew… Nephew… My brother's son, I do not have much time. You ask for help to save this girl, but I cannot help. She was born of fire. To Agni. That spirit you killed did not just trip the girl over a long fall. If that were all, she could easily survive. Rather, the spider cut her ties to Agni. If it were day then Agni himself would answer your call and restore her tie, but now, during night, he is not capable of doing so. You must give her a tie to life. A tie to fire. For fire is the power of life and compassion. You, nephew, have such power. Harness your power and become the girl's sun. Take care, nephew. We are always watching you. Your father would be very proud if he were to witness this. Take pride in who and what you are. Tui and I, as well as the others, look favorably upon you."

The beam of light from the moon receded and shined in the night sky like usual. The moon's light illuminated the ocean and its waves that raged and crashed together in time with the pulsing of the firestorm. The wind swirled and the earth shook. All as if they were in agreement with what the spirit of the moon had said. Agreeing with Ikihi's rage and purpose for his rage.

Ikihi lowered his head to bow to the presence of the great spirits and then turned his head towards his chest as he faced Mitsuko and closed his eyes. Wings drooping to cover and shield himself and Mitsuko, a golden fire spread from Ikihi like a miniature sun. Golden fire encompassed Ikihi and Mitsuko as he flew into the air while levitating her within his fire along with himself. About twenty feet in the air the golden fire strengthened as the wind fed it and the earth and waves moved in time to the pulsating of fire. Ikihi breathed golden and white fire onto Mitsuko. As it caught her on fire and seeped in through her mouth, ears, eyes, nose and her very skin, it made her glow in the same color of the fire, as none of the fire was now outside of her.

All the while Daichi was struggling against his friend to try to reach Mitsuko.

"Daichi what would you be able to do, huh? The moon herself instructed him to do something that could save her life! Would you rather stop him in the process of whatever he's doing and then make sure that your daughter is dead?"

With that Daichi stopped resisting Kayuqtuq and slumped down to his knees in tears and silent sobs. Kayuqtuq and Atiqtalik patted Daichi's shoulders as they craned their necks to look up at what Ikihi—though they weren't even sure it was Ikihi anymore—was doing with Mitsuko, hoping in the great spirits and this dragon spirit above them that everything would turn out alright.

The fire had seeped into Mitsuko and warmed her body back up to where her heart pumped the blood through her veins and feeling came back to her body. Fully revived, Mitsuko felt better than ever, but she did not comprehend that she had just been brought back from the dead. She opened her eyes to behold what was now holding her. Ikihi, shining like the sun as he flew into the night sky. Ikihi slowed when he was high enough to see the extent of his storm as he looked out seriously at his creation. Pressing Mitsuko closely against him so she held tight around his neck with her arms, Ikihi let go of Mitsuko and raised out his hands out to the storm. With Mitsuko conscious and hanging from his neck, Ikihi called the fires of the storm to him with the swoops of his arms, bringing all the fire and the storm to him. Forming a huge ball of fire only around him and Mitsuko, he then seeped it into himself from where it came. As the firestorm was dispersed, the air, waves and shaking of the earth settled as well so that all was calm again like nothing happened.

firestorm gone, Ikihi flew back down to where all the villagers were and touches down with a gust of wind in front of Daichi who raised his head to see Ikihi folding his wings. Mitsuko had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of what just happened while Ikihi carried her down. Ikihi handed her to her father's trembling arms and then stepped back with his head held high. Mitsuko, alive and well, just asleep, the spirit gone, and storm dispersed. Ikihi's rage settled. The fire around Ikihi dispersed and the raging light in Ikihi's eyes dimmed. Now only his pointy ears, clawed nails, hair and fanged teeth stayed the same. For all other purposes Ikihi had gone back to a normal 9-year-old boy.

All done, Ikihi collapsed into Ila's arms who had rushed forward to catch him and hold him.

"Mitsuko's breathing normally and she's warm like a firebender again," Daichi announced.

"Ikihi's breathing is normal with no weird fire anymore. Besides a really needed hair cut he's fine," Ila announced as well.

Everything settled in on everyone awake and they laughed hysterically at the shock of what just took place. Everyone decided to just take the two sleeping kids home and see what was going to happen in the morning before they had to decide what they should do about what transpired.

Just as Daichi was separating from the villagers, his daughter stirred like something was bothering her and he called out for Ila, who was carrying Ikihi since he was so light, to stop moving. All of the villagers stopped to see what had Daichi worried and saw Mitsuko become more disturbed the farther Daichi brought away from Ikihi. But when Daichi moved Mitsuko back towards Ikihi, she calmed back down.

The elders were perplexed and Atiqtalik reasoned, "If Ikihi… in that fire dragon form just brought Mitsuko back to life, then I assume Ikihi became her source of life, so it may not be in her best interest to be separated from Ikihi. At least not until whatever had happened to save her life settles in."

Daichi noded and followed the villagers into the village and then into the tent where they laid Ikihi and Mitsuko down next to each other. In her sleep Mitsuko moved towards Ikihi and wrapped her arms around him and Ikihi, as if protecting her flame, hugged her back and the two settled into a deep sleep.

Ila sat down next two the two sleeping children and then pulled the blanket over them as well as herself. "I'll sleep here with these two if anything happens." And Ila herself passed out from worrying herself to exhaustion.

Daichi lit the candle at the corners of the bed to give Ikihi and Mitsuko a source of fire just in case and then exited the tent with everyone else.

"I don't think now is the time to discuss what happened, so how about we all go to sleep and talk about what just happened tomorrow. Daichi, you can sleep in my tent tonight so you are closer to Mitsuko," Kayuqtuq suggested, and everyone readily agreed. Everyone went off to their own tents and quickly fell asleep and the night went quiet except for the critters of the night, the breeze of salty wind and the sound of waves calmly lapping at the shore.

* * *

N/A:

I hope everyone enjoys Fire Guardian. If anyone has questions about what's going on then please feel free to comment on my chapters and I will do my best to answer them. My writing is still developing so if there are mistakes please do point tem out so I can become better. Thank you.

Also I am on summer break before my senior year of high school starts so I have a good amount of time to write so I will be posting chapters rather often over the summer.


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